Scratching

Pigs, scratching and/or belly rubs seem to go hand in hand. With their naturally dry skin they just love to scratch. They also tend to scratch heavily when losing their coat of hair / shedding (also called blowing their coat), which usually happens once a year. You can help keep this scratching down to a minimum by making sure your pig is wormed twice a year and has a proper diet. When blowing their coat you can help them out by gently pulling out loose hair. Sometimes it comes out in big handfuls!

If your pig is scratching excessively they might have Mange from Mites. The skin itself looks kind of pink and irritated and the pig goes wild scratching. And I don't mean just once in a while rubbing against stuff, but its pretty much continuous and they even scratching to the point where they are bleeding.

All pigs, especially pot belly pigs, seem to love a good belly rub and will fall over on their side when you get the right spot. They will lay on their side for what will seem like hours while your give them a belly rub. After all, you love a good belly rub, don't you?

For those of you considering an inside pig beware that they like to rub on the edges of furniture and walls. The spots they pick out will gradually get dirty or stained. We have spots on two different walls where they love to rub their butts. Make sure your furniture cannot be knocked over if they are scratching on it. They are MUCH stronger than most people think.

The information presented within our information and resources section has been collected from what we consider experts and various reputable persons including vets, sanctuary owners, and private pig owners among othsrs. Information shown is the latest available.
Although we have had pet pigs for 20 years and consider ourselves quite knowledgeable, we are by no means veterinarians. Any health related information presented below should be checked out with your personal veterinarian.